At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Good 40Gbps read performance Very affordable Compact and good-looking Cons Slower than most USB4 SSDs Low TBW rating Our Verdict While Corsair’s EX400U is on the slow side for a USB4 SSD, it’s also less expensive. It’s faster and more compatible across platforms than 20Gbps USB3.2×2 SSDs, as well. We’d like a higher TBW rating though. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Corsair EX400U USB4 SSD Retailer Price Corsair $129.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket The Corsair EX400U is easily the smallest USB4 SSD I’ve yet tested. It’s also good looking and a fast reader, though write performance is more like what you’d see from 20Gbps USB SSDs. Still, considering the low pricing, it’s a very desirable external storage device. Read on to learn more, then see our roundup of the best external drives for comparison. What are the EX400U’s features? The EX400U is an external USB4 SSD rendered in pewter and measuring around 2.5-inches square by just shy of an inch thick. Weight is a mere, but palpable-in-the-hand 1.8 ounces — it isn’t so light it feels cheap. The big surprise for me was that the white circle (don’t let the artistic lighting fool you) on the bottom of the unit is magnetic. It was kind of fun sticking the drive to various metal surfaces (including the ruler). Sadly, most of the surfaces I’d like to stick it to are non-ferromagnetic, like my aluminum Mac Studio. I say sadly because it’s the perfect shape and size to hide behind said unit. The underside of the Corsair EX400U. The white circle is magnetic. Kudos to Corsair for actually revealing what’s inside the EX400U, as I had no desire to dissect it and most vendors just clam up when asked. The controller is a Phison PS2251-21 and the NAND is layered TLC. That controller is actually designed for USB4 and eliminates a bulky bridge chip to keep the price and weight down. Alas, it doesn’t seem to perform quite as well as the ASMedia ASM2464PD found in many pricier competitors. Corsair warranties the EX400U for three years, or 250 TBW (terabytes that may be written before it becomes a read-only hockey puck) for every 1TB of capacity. That’s less than half the TBW rating we normally see with TLC NAND, and more in line with what QLC SSDs are rated for. (I’m kidding about the hockey puck!) A magnetic ring on the bottom of the EX400U makes it fun to stick the compact drive to metal surfaces. How much is the EX400U? The Corsair EX400U is available in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB capacities for $130, $190, and $350 respectively. That’s hardly dirt cheap, but considerably more affordable than the Adata SE920 and OWC 1M2 competition. It even works out a bit cheaper than the Ugreen CM850 or CM642 enclosures — depending on what capacity and quality of SSD you populate those empty USB4 products with. But those are all faster products… How fast is the Corsair EX400U? I kind of let the cat out of the bag on this topic up top. While the EX400U competes well with the competition in multi-queued reading, it’s writing and single-queue performance was more like that of a 20Gbps (USB 3.2×2) SSD than a full-on USB4 SSD like the Adata SE920 and OWC Express 1M2. Note that the Ugreen CM850 (PCWorld reviewed the ever-so-slightly slower CM642) is an unpopulated enclosure that we tested with a very fast 8TB WD SN850X inside. The EX400U’s best number by far was in the eight-queue sequential read. Note that Windows only uses one queue for its I/O. The EX400U’s best number by far was in the-eight queue sequential read. Otherwise the numbers are mediocre for USB4. Note that Windows only uses one queue for its I/O. Longer bars are better. The Corsair EX400U was more competitive in CrystalDiskMark 8’s random tests, actually proving the fastest in the single-queue, single-thread write by 4MBps. The Corsair EX400U was more competitive in CrystalDiskMark 8’s random tests, actually proving the fastest in the single-queue, single-thread write by 4MBps. Longer bars are better. Our 48GB transfer results corroborated the CrystalDiskMark numbers. While fast, the EX400U was significantly off the pace set by the other USB4 SSDs we’ve tested. While fast, the EX400U was significantly off the pace set by the other USB4 SSDs we’ve tested. Shorter bars are better. The EX400U’s slower write rate is also reflected in the 450GB transfer, though it’s still the 7th fastest time we’ve seen from any external SSD. The EX400U’s slower write rate is also reflected in the 450GB transfer, though it’s still the 7th fastest time we’ve seen from any external SSD. Shorter bars are better. While the performance discussion above may come off a bit negative, that’s only compared to other USB4 SSDs — all of which are very, very fast. The EX400U still ranked 7th place overall — faster than every 20Gbps SSD we’ve kicked the tires on as well as a number of Thunderbolt 3/4 SSDs. Should you buy the Corsair EX400U? I say, yeah. While it’s not the fastest 40Gbps SSD out there, it is very affordable and far more compatible across PCs and Macs than 20Gbps USB 3.2×2 SSDs. It’s also nicely light and compact. How we test Drive tests currently utilize Windows 11, 64-bit running on an X790 (PCIe 4.0/5.0) motherboard/i5-12400 CPU combo with two Kingston Fury 32GB DDR5 4800MHz modules (64GB of memory total). Both 20Gbps USB and Thunderbolt 4 are integrated to the back panel and Intel CPU/GPU graphics are used. The 48GB transfer tests utilize an ImDisk RAM disk taking up 58GB of the 64GB of total memory. The 450GB file is transferred from a 2TB Samsung 990 Pro which also runs the OS. Each test is performed on a newly NTFS-formatted and TRIM’d drive so the results are optimal. Note that in normal use, as a drive fills up, performance may decrease due to less NAND for secondary caching, as well as other factors. This can be less of a factor with the current crop of SSDs with far faster late-generation NAND. Caveat: The performance numbers shown apply only to the drive we were shipped and to the capacity tested. SSD performance can and will vary by capacity due to more or fewer chips to shotgun reads/writes across and the amount of NAND available for secondary caching. Vendors also occasionally swap components. If you ever notice a large discrepancy between the performance you experience and that which we report, by all means, let us know. Read...

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Live TV streaming services are a natural starting point when you’re cutting the cord. These services offer many of the same channels you had with cable or satellite TV, but deliver them over the internet to your smart TV or streaming device. They include cloud-based DVRs so you can record your favorite shows—and skip through the commercials—in many cases, they’re the only way to watch specific pay TV channels. Still, the cost of live TV streaming services can get quite high, and in some ways they won’t be exactly like what you had with cable. Our top picks will help you avoid overpaying and get the TV features you most care about. Why you should trust us As TechHive’s resident cord-cutting expert, I’ve been reviewing live TV streaming services ever since the launch of Sling TV back in 2015, and I’ve been a cord-cutter myself since 2008. Beyond just product reviews, I write a weekly column about streaming and over-the-air TV for TechHive, and my Cord Cutter Weekly newsletter has more than 30,000 readers. Updated December 20, 2024: We’ve updated this story with the most recent price changes (or should we say price increases) and performed a general refresh of this story. The TV streaming services we recommend YouTube TV — Best TV streaming service overall Pros Simple interface makes live TV easy to navigate Unlimited DVR allows for a huge on-demand library (with skippable ads) Broad selection of local, news, sports, and entertainment channels Cons Can’t delete recordings or mark them as watched on TV devices One-off recordings only work for live sporting events Menu doesn’t clearly separate DVR and on-demand video (with unskippable ads) Best Prices Today: Retailer Price YouTube TV $82.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $82.99 at YouTube TV Why we like YouTube TV YouTube TV is the best drop-in replacement for cable or satellite TV. It’s not exactly cheap at $83 per month, but it offers a broad mix of the local stations, live news, national sports, and entertainment channels you’d get with a typical pay TV package, almost certainly at a lower price. Its interface is easy to comprehend, its cloud DVR lets you record an unlimited number of programs for up to nine months, and you even can bundle NFL Sunday Ticket at a discount. Who should get YouTube TV If you want to cut the cable cord without overthinking it, this is the easiest starting point to recommend. Still, other services may offer a better value—either by bundling other services or omitting popular channels—or by delivering more regional sports coverage. Read our full YouTube TV review Hulu + Live TV — Best TV streaming service, runner-up Pros Excellent value for Disney bundle subscribers Expansive on-demand catalog Recommendations and staff picks make the app fun to explore Cons Live TV can be inefficient to navigate Hard to figure out which programs allow ad skipping Can’t watch on TV devices while traveling Best Prices Today: Retailer Price Hulu.com $82.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $82.99 at Hulu.com Why we like Hulu + Live TV The main thing that distinguishes Hulu + Live TV from YouTube TV is its inclusion of the full Disney bundle, so you get Hulu’s on-demand catalog, Disney+ (with ads, unless you were grandfathered in), and ESPN+ in the $83-per-month base package. Hulu’s cloud DVR service lets you save an unlimited number of shows for up to nine months, and while the interface can be busy, it ties everything together in a way that encourages discovery. Who should get Hulu + Live TV Hulu’s live TV package makes a lot of sense if you’re paying for any of Disney’s other streaming services. Disney+ and Hulu each cost $10 per month on their own (or $11 per month together), while ESPN+ is even pricier at $12 per month (also available with Disney+ and Hulu for $17 per month). With Hulu + Live TV, you get all those services at no extra cost. Read our full Hulu + Live TV review DirecTV Stream — Best TV streaming service for sports fans Pros Excellent grid guide with useful sorting options More sports (at least in its $100-per-month tier) than other streaming services DVR is easy to navigate and has its own dedicated menu section Cons No visual preview when fast forwarding on Fire TV and Android TV Sluggish performance on some lower-end streaming devices Some national sports channels are pushed out to more-expensive packages Best Prices Today: Retailer Price DirecTV Stream $101.98 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $101.98 at DirecTV Stream Why we like DirecTV Stream DirecTV Stream’s starting price is $101.98 per month, but the main attraction is its $115-per-month “Choice” package, which includes more sports coverage than other live TV streaming services. In some markets, it’s the only way to stream certain regional sports channels that remain tied to pay TV bundles. The cloud DVR and grid guide are highlights as well, with an interface that will make cable or satellite converts feel at home. Who should get DirecTV Stream YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV only offer patchy regional sports coverage, and standalone streaming options are still limited. Sports fans who can’t stream their local baseball, basketball, or hockey teams any other way would be wise to consider DirecTV Stream despite its steep price. Read our full DirecTV Stream review Sling TV — Best budget-priced TV streaming service Pros Lower entry price than any other streaming bundle Simple menu system with easy access to favorites DVR supports ad-skipping, partial recordings, and time-shifting Cons Price can quickly escalate to get certain channels Most channels top out at 30 frames per second Only supports one user profile Best Prices Today: Retailer Price Sling TV $40 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $40 at Sling TV Why we like Sling TV Sling TV’s starting price of $40 per month is a lot lower than most other bundles, which it accomplishes by splitting its channels into two base packages and omitting local broadcasts in many markets. The DVR feels a bit stingy—you get 50 recording hours, or 200 hours for an extra $5 per month—but it’s still the cheapest way to access certain cable channels without a big cable bundle. Who should get Sling TV Sling TV is an invaluable option for those who can skate by without a full range of local channels. It pairs especially well with an over-the-air antenna for local channels, and you can even use an AirTV device to feed those channels into Sling’s app. Read our full Sling TV review Philo — Best budget-priced TV streaming service, runner-up Pros DVR has helpful ad-skipping features Easy to find your favorites and recently-watched shows Integrates well with Fire TV, Google TV, and Apple TV devices Cons No sports, major cable news, or local broadcast channels Channel guide layout is disorienting No surround sound or adjustable streaming quality Why we like Philo For $28 per month, Philo offers lots of entertainment channels in an easy-to-navigate interface, and its cloud DVR even marks up commercial breaks to help you skip through them. Equally notable, however, is what’s missing: Philo doesn’t include any local channels, sports channels, or major cable news networks, which is a big part of why it’s much cheaper than other live TV streaming services. Who should get Philo Cord-cutters who favor reality shows, documentaries, and other forms of comfort food TV will find plenty to watch on Philo. Cheaper standalone services such as Max or Netflix might scratch a similar itch at lower prices, but they don’t have the same live TV and DVR features. Read our full Philo review How we test live TV streaming services Beyond just watching a lot of TV, we evaluate each service’s channel lineup to point out any important omissions, while also comparing basic features such as simulataneous streams and out-of-home viewing restrictions. We scrutinize each service’s DVR capabilities, including the ease with which you can access recordings, manage your storage, and skip through commercials. To evaluate video quality, we look for features such as 60-frames-per-second video support across a broad range of channels. We also examine every corner of each service’s interface, comparing features such as the grid guide, on-demand menu, and home screen. Our in-depth reviews include plenty of screenshots, so you can see for yourself what each service looks like. Other notable live TV streaming services we’ve reviewed Fubo prides itself on live sports and is only rivaled by DirecTV Stream on regional sports, but its lack of Warner-owned channels (including postseason sports staples TNT and TBS) leaves some serious gaps in its coverage. It costs $80 per month, including regional sports fees. Philo offers a terrific live TV streaming service for just $28 per month if you’re not interested in watching live sports. Frndly TV is the cheapest live TV streaming service by far, starting at $7 per month, with a channel lineup that leans heavily into classic TV reruns. It probably won’t fulfil many cord cutters’ needs on its own, but may be worth considering as a supplement to other services. Frequently asked questions about streaming live TV 1. How are live TV streaming services different from services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video? On-demand video services such as Netflix (also known as SVOD (streaming video on demand) or direct-to-consumer services) offer original programming you can’t find on cable, along with catalogs of movies and shows licensed from Hollywood studios. Some of these streamers are dabbling in live sports—most notably, Max’s B/R Sports add-on offers every event that airs on its cable channels—but for the most part this coverage is different from what’s on cable. By comparison, live TV services carry the exact same channels you’d find in a cable or satellite package, including major networks such as ABC and CBS, news channels such MSNBC and Fox News, and sports channels such as ESPN. They have similar grid-style channels guides and DVR features as well. 2. How do I watch live TV streaming services? Each of these services offer their own apps, which you can install on your smart TV, streaming device, smartphone, or tablet. You can subscribe to these services through their own websites, or in some cases directly through the app. 3. What about DVR? All live TV streaming services include some form of cloud DVR, allowing you to record live programming and skip through the commercials. The recordings are stored online, rather than on a box in your home, so you can access them from any of your devices—even while traveling. 4. Can I watch live TV streaming services while traveling? Yes, though some services have restrictions on what you can watch and how you can watch it. This article has more details. 5. Are there equipment or activation fees? No, live TV streaming services do not charge activation fees, and you can log in to watch on as many devices as you want at no extra charge. You may hit a limit on how many devices can be actively streaming at the same time—usually it’s two or three, depending on the service—and some services allow you to pay for more simultaneous streams if you need them. Read...

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